EPCs and what they mean to you
As of December 2007 every home on the market must have a Home Information Pack.
An Energy Performance Certificate (EPC) forms part of this pack.
What is an Energy
Performance Certificate
(EPC)?
An EPC provides a rating for the energy
efficiency of a building. The ratings are
set against standard criteria to enable
one building to be compared with another
of a similar type. EPCs are similar to the
certificates now provided with domestic
appliances such as refrigerators and
washing machines. They give information
on the energy performance as well as
the environmental impact through carbon
emissions. This information is rated on
a scale of A to G, where A is the best
and should have the lowest fuel bill. The
average UK property is in bands D to E.
Energy Efficiency Rating
Each certificate also has a recommendation
report, providing information about ways
to improve the energy efficiency of the
property. The rating that could be achieved
if all the recommendations were to be
implemented is also given. New homes will
have a reduced recommendation report
which will contain more advanced energy
savings improvements such as solar
panels. This is because it is expected that
improvements to the thermal elements
(walls, floor and roof) will be incorporated in
the design.
By law, EPCs can only be produced by an
Accredited Energy Assessor. EPCs must be
registered and stored in a national register
at www.EPCregister.com (for dwellings) and
ndepcregister.com (for non-dwellings) with
a unique reference number. This can only
be done by an On Construction Energy
Assessor in conjunction with the relevant
accreditation scheme.
Environmental Impact (CO 2 ) Rating
What you have to do
When constructing a new dwelling
there is a requirement to provide energy
calculations to show compliance with
Building Regulations. These calculations
provide an energy rating using a Standard
Assessment Procedure (SAP). They
are intended to show that the dwelling
will meet a minimum target for energy
performance.
Dwellings offered for sale before completion
must be assessed and information about
the energy efficiency must be provided in
a Predicted Energy Assessment (PEA).
This PEA must be included in the Home
Information Pack.
Prior to completion, the building will be
required to satisfy an air permeability
test, the results of which together with
any changes in the building specification,
will have an effect on the initial energy
calculations.
On completion building control requires
‘as built’ energy calculations (SAP 2005
calculation). Building control must also be
notified that a valid Energy Performance
Certificate has been given to the owner of
the building.
If you are selling a house, there are many
ways you can obtain a Home Information
Pack. These include using an estate agent,
a specialist pack provider, or compiling it
yourself.
The energy efficiency rating is a measure of the
overall efficiency of a home. The higher the rating
the more energy efficient the home is and the
lower the fuel bills are likely to be.
The environmental impact rating is a measure of
a home’s impact on the environment in terms of
carbon dioxide (C02) emissions. The higher the
rating the less impact it has on the environment.
If you are buying a house you should ask
to see the Home Information Pack on any
properties you are interested in as the seller
must have commissioned the pack by the
time the property is on the market. You
should be able to obtain a copy from the
seller or the estate agent.
To find out more about Home Information Packs go to www.homeinformationpacks.gov.uk
To find out more about building control’s role, go to the LABC website at www.labc.uk.com
and use the ‘Find Your Local Authority’ facility to contact your local authority building
control department.
© LABC 2008